NISSAN EMBARKS ON NEW FRONTIER.

Byline: Brian S. Akre Associated Press 

Thirty-eight years after introducing its first compact pickup truck, Nissan Motor Corp. announced a redesigned model and finally gave it a name.

Nissan's 1998 pickup, the third generation built in the United States, will be called the Frontier, the company said Wednesday. It will be built at Smyrna, Tenn., where Nissan has been producing pickups since 1983.

Since Nissan began importing pickups to the United States in 1959, when it was known here as Datsun, it has simply called the little haulers by their generic name or a numeric designation (the first was called the Datsun 1000).

The pickup has been a strong seller for the Japanese automaker, even though overall demand for compact trucks has weakened as Americans have flocked to bigger, more expensive full-size pickups and sport utility vehicles.

``We felt that's our strength, that's our niche in the market,'' said Tom Orbe, vice president of marketing for Nissan Motor Corp. USA.

Nissan sold about 130,000 of its pickups last year and expects to sell at least as many Frontiers. Projected volume is 150,000 for all of North America.

Nissan showed off a production prototype of the Frontier at the press preview of the New York International Automobile Show. Designed in Japan, it features a more aggressive look, with a rounder front end and flared fenders popular on some of Detroit's full-size pickups.

Some of the prototype's styling affectations, including a rear-roof spoiler and side steps, will not be on the production model, said spokesman Don Spetner.

The truck will be offered in regular and extended-cab versions. No three- or four-door variants are planned.

The Frontier is larger, longer and heavier than its predecessor, and Nissan says it will have the largest cargo bed in its class. It will come with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, to be followed later in 1998 with an optional 3.3-liter V6. Two- and four-wheel-drive versions will be available.

Orbe said prices will be announced later. The truck is scheduled to go into production in late July and go on sale in November.

Other new models premiered Wednesday included:

Yet another upscale version of Jeep's popular Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicle. Chrysler said it will offer a version of its 245-horsepower, 5.9-liter, V8 truck engine in the 1998 Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited.

Chrysler said a high-performance version of its redesigned LH series sedans will be called the Chrysler 300M and will be sold in the United States and Europe. The name draws from Chrysler's history: it marketed a series of high-performance cars that used the 300 designation in the 1950s and '60s.

Germany's Porsche introduced a $150,000, top-of-the-line 911 sports car, designated the Turbo S. It features the 911 Turbo's standard 3.6-liter, twin-turbocharged, six-cylinder engine tuned to produce 424 horsepower. Its luxury interior features include full leather, carbon-fiber instrumentation and door pulls, and unique front and rear spoilers.

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Photo: (Color) Nissan introduces its newest compact pickup truck, the Frontier, in New York.

Associated Press